OMG

Canada's Latest Monetary Scandal

01.18.13 1:56 PM ET

This could be Canada's biggest monetary scandal since the discovery that the new polymer $100 bill smells of maple syrup.

Some botanists are shaking their heads at the new polymer $20 bills because they say the money features a maple leaf from Norway, and not Canada, although that's not how the Bank of Canada sees it.

The Norway maple came to North America in the 18th century, imported by a Philadelphia merchant and peddled as a garden adornment. But lately it has been turning up in all kinds of places, including the official logos of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., and the FIFA under-20 World Cup of Soccer.

The Norway maple came to North America in the 18th century, and has been turning up in all kinds of places, including logos. (CBC)
The Canadian Television Fund and the Alliance of Natural History Museums of Canada have also made maple leaf errors, according to botanists.